Signature · 9.3% SNAP (8th pct in MA)
Middlesex County, MA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Middlesex County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 24.6%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 9.3%
- on SNAP
- 1.6M
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Middlesex County, MA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 24.6% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +2.5 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 10 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.3% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 10.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 3% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Hampden County ( -0.8 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Middlesex County ranks #1,321 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #10 of 14 counties in MA (24.6% low-access; 10 food-desert tracts).
- #1,321
- national by low-access %
- #10
- in MA
- 127
- low-access tracts
- 39K
- food-desert residents
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA).
Signature read: 9.3% SNAP (8th pct in MA) (-2.8 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Middlesex County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Middlesex County's 24.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 58% of them and ranked #1,321 most-affected nationwide.
Middlesex County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
317 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 10 LILA.
Middlesex County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (300 urban, 17 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 17 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.
Middlesex County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Massachusetts, not a full county-board reprint
- Barnstable
Barnstable 51%
51 % low-access
- Essex
Essex 30.1%
30.1 % low-access
- Bristol
Bristol 26.4%
26.4 % low-access
- Middlesex
Middlesex 24.6%
24.6 % low-access
- Hampden
Hampden 23.8%
23.8 % low-access
- Franklin 19.1
Franklin 19.1%
19.1 % low-access
- Suffolk 1
Suffolk 1%
1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 317 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 1,503,085 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 127 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 370,257 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.6%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 38,679 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,638,365 |
| Median Household Income | $130,847 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 59,014 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.3%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in Middlesex County
Middlesex County has 910 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 12 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 398 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
65 towns share the 910 authorized stores; Lowell holds 11% of them. 13 of the 65 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: North Billerica, Tyngsboro, Newton Center, Holliston, Shirley, Ashby and 7 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Lowell | 102 | 28 |
| Everett | 59 | 12 |
| Somerville | 59 | 18 |
| Cambridge | 55 | 16 |
| Framingham | 52 | 18 |
| Malden | 48 | 10 |
| Waltham | 45 | 11 |
| Marlborough | 34 | 8 |
| Medford | 29 | 8 |
| Woburn | 24 | 7 |
Top 10 of 65 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 398 (250 shown)
- 1 bridle market, billerica
- 1460 middlesex gas inc, lowell
- 296 irving convenience store, framingham
- 350 food mart, somerville
- 47 market inc., chelmsford
- 7 eleven 32461, watertown
- 7 eleven 34388a 34388a, concord
- 7 star grocery inc, arlington
- 7-eleven 16019a, wakefield
- 7-eleven 32473d, somerville
- 7-eleven 33550a, cambridge
- 7-eleven 15451e, marlborough
- 7-eleven 32481a, north billerica
- 7-eleven 33097h, lowell
- 7-eleven 33486, cambridge
- 7-eleven 34400b, everett
- 7-eleven 34412b, pepperell
- 7-eleven 37358a, lowell
- 7-eleven 37378a, everett
- 7-eleven 37496a 408, dracut
- 7-eleven 40078h, newton center
- 7-eleven 40081h, everett
- 7-eleven store 26561g, malden
- 7-eleven 11510e 11510, billerica
- 7-eleven 11517f, lowell
- 7-eleven 20430f, cambridge
- 7-eleven 30238d, north reading
- 7-eleven 34390c, natick
- 7-eleven 35827b, cambridge
- 7-eleven 37342c, lowell
- 7-eleven 37345a, somerville
- 7-eleven 37372a 37372, medford
- 7-eleven 37377a 37377, everett
- 7-eleven 37427b, waltham
- 7-eleven 37456, newton highlands
- 7-eleven 37501a 37501a, tewksbury
- 7-eleven 37510c, newton
- 7-eleven 37518b 37518, everett
- 7eleven 11506, woburn
- a & p spinners market & liquor llc, westford
- a v's market, framingham
- a&a liquors and market, dracut
- a-1 gulf, framingham
- a1 foodmart, lowell
- alltown fresh hudson 784, hudson
- ashland convenience store, ashland
- acton gulf gas, acton
- adinath associates inc, lowell
- aggies place, somerville
- al prime - dracut 159, dracut
- alltown billerica 2743, north billerica
- alltown fresh ayer 769, ayer
- alltown fresh hopkinton 2766, hopkinton
- alltown fresh marlborough 2722, marlborough
- alltown lowell 2718, lowell
- amal fuel, lowell
- ams stores llc, lowell
- andreas convenience store, stoneham
- andy's convenience, tewksbury
- apple country market n/a, hudson
- archers mobil, ayer
- arlington convenience, arlington
- ashby market, ashby
- big town pantry, framingham
- bp shop, framingham
- brothers convenience inc, malden
- big apple market and deli 1, westford
- billerica cirkle k, billerica
- blue market 1, westford
- bob's market, melrose
- boston convenience, somerville
- boston convenience, cambridge
- bostonian convenience ii, somerville
- boyles family market, arlington
- broadway convenience, dracut
- buds variety, maynard
- buena vista convenience store, somerville
- burlington mobil, burlington
- buscemi's convenince, hudson
- campus mini mart, medford
- carousel variety, wakefield
- central convenience, somerville
- central woburn meat market, woburn
- centre mobil, framingham
- charles street convenience, malden
- chelmsford gas & market llc 104, north chelmsford
- chelmsford mart, chelmsford
- chestnut convenience store 479, marlborough
- christophers market, north reading
- cilicia mediterranean market, natick
- circle k 4707500, wakefield
- citgo express mart, everett
- colbea enterprises llc 71, lexington
- colbea enterprises llc 72, waltham
- colbea enterprises llc 73, waltham
- colbea enterprises llc 74, ashland
- colbea enterprises llc 75, framingham
- colbea enterprises, llc 95, marlborough
- colbea enterprises, llc 96, reading
- colbea enterprises, llc. 89, framingham
- colbea enterprises, llc. 94, hudson
- common convenience, littleton
- common market, melrose
- concord provision, concord
- convenience plus no, watertown
- convenient 38, woburn
- country farm, holliston
- country farms, lowell
- country farms groceries, lowell
- cstk corp 37514a, hudson
- cumberland farms 3377, reading
- cumberland farms 3493, north billerica
- cumberland farms 3516, chelmsford
- cumberland farms 3531, somerville
- cumberland farms 6662, pepperell
- cumberland farms 6667, hudson
- cumberland farms 6671, maynard
- cumberland farms 6680, hudson
- cumberland farms 6723, framingham
- cumberland farms 6734, wakefield
- cumberland farms 6735, lexington
- cumberland farms 6759, tewksbury
- cumberland farms, inc 0208, hopkinton
- cumberland farms, inc 3496, concord
- cumberland farms, inc 3508, westford
- cumberland farms, inc 6715, wilmington
- daily mart, natick
- daily mart, framingham
- daily mart, medford
- dandea's superette, malden
- desi american kitchen & convenience, acton
- discount beer & wine, lowell
- discount tobacco-dba stop n save stoneham 2, stoneham
- discount valley inc., lowell
- dom's variety store, framingham
- dracut center convenience, dracut
- dream convenience, medford
- dream market, lowell
- e market, tewksbury
- e-z convenience and food market, ashland
- easy convenience & deli, waltham
- econo mart, lowell
- easy convenience store, arlington
- el pikante foods 2, framingham
- elks fuel inc, tewksbury
- elm street market, everett
- emanuel super market, framingham
- enanas market iii inc 3, everett
- energy north 2102, townsend
- energy north 2110, tewksbury
- energy north 2118, lexington
- energy north 2119, newton
- energy north 2124, littleton
- energy north 2125, littleton
- energy north 2134, lexington
- energy north 2137, boxborough
- energy north 2138, westford
- energy north 3107, lowell
- energy north 3120, groton
- essex farm, malden
- everett market 1, everett
- everett sunoco 9072, everett
- everett variety store, everett
- falcon ecuatoriano store inc, lowell
- family farms 5, natick
- fine mart convenience, everett
- fine mart convenience, everett
- fiorentino's liquor, everett
- framingham convenience, framingham
- frank & ernest, lowell
- fresh village 011, marlborough
- friendly corner convenience, cambridge
- galloway's convenience, tewksbury
- get-n-go, somerville
- gibbs oil malden 1334, malden
- global montello group corp. 2769, acton
- global montello group corp. 774, waltham
- grabngo market, cambridge
- grocery garrison, newton
- handy spa, belmont
- harvard market, malden
- high street gas and convenience, lowell
- highland variety, lowell
- holland convenience, somerville
- honeyland farms, townsend
- hudson gas & market llc 531, hudson
- hurricane energy inc, framingham
- in & out convenience store, malden
- indralok inc, groton
- j & d convenient store, natick
- j convenience store & laundromat 0, natick
- jack's variety no, woburn
- jay's food mart, lowell
- jerry's food store 2, lowell
- jim's quick stop, billerica
- jimmy's convenience store, dracut
- joe's kwik mart 509, burlington
- joe's kwik mart 512, lowell
- juma grocery & check services llc, marlborough
- kims convenience, everett
- kennedys butter & eggs store, lowell
- kevs country store inc, woburn
- khoury fuel inc, melrose
- kippo market, everett
- kristina market, medford
- kristinas variety, waltham
- l & m convenience store, malden
- l c variety, belmont
- lucky farm, ashland
- la esquinita market inc, waltham
- la guanaquita market, watertown
- lakeview general store llc, tyngsboro
- latino express ii, everett
- lazy bonez llc, lowell
- lincoln mini market, marlborough
- linden convenience plus, malden
- littleton convenience, littleton
- los amigos market inc/los amigos market inc, lowell
- los hermanos market, lowell
- los toritos meat market 1, somerville
- lowell food mart, lowell
- lowell quick mart, lowell
- lowell variety store inc, lowell
- lowell xtra mart 10086, lowell
- lucky corner convenience store, somerville
- lucky corner market, lowell
- lucky mart, everett
- lucky mart, woburn
- luigi's variety, cambridge
- lukoil, tyngsboro
- m & m convenience, somerville
- minute market, somerville
- main street mobil, stoneham
- makari's market, framingham
- malden mini market, malden
- maple convenience, marlborough
- market steet market, lowell
- marlboro citgo, marlborough
- marlborough gulf express, marlborough
- mass convenience, lexington
- maynard corner store llc, maynard
- md azadur rahman, cambridge
- merrimack mart, lowell
- metro mini mart, watertown
- milagros market grocery store 1, everett
- mill city convenience, lowell
- mini mart, everett
- minit mart, woburn
- mobil on the run, lowell
- mobile mart 2762, waltham
Showing 250 of 910 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Massachusetts
One of 13 counties in Massachusetts, 6 are shown here.
Compare Middlesex County vs Barnstable County → · All Massachusetts counties →
Nationwide peers for Middlesex County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Middlesex County (9.3%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Massachusetts.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MA (24.6% here).
- Jerome County, ID · 24.6% low-access
- DeKalb County, GA · 24.6% low-access
- Baldwin County, GA · 24.6% low-access
- Fairfield County, OH · 24.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MA (9.3% here).
- Marshall County, KY · 9.3% SNAP
- Jessamine County, KY · 9.3% SNAP
- Sedgwick County, KS · 9.3% SNAP
- Labette County, KS · 9.3% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Massachusetts among New England states
Massachusetts ranks 1st of 5 New England states by population-weighted low-access (27.8%). Middlesex County, at 24.6%, runs 3.2 pts below the Massachusetts rate.
- Massachusetts 27.8%
- New Hampshire 27.5%
- Rhode Island 23.6%
- Maine 13.4%
- Vermont 11.2%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Middlesex County, MA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 25017. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.